Retcon Patrol: 1-06 “For the Children” Part 1
Today continues what I hope will be a summer-long journey through the first season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Two. As with our re-view of Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, I’ll be looking for contradictions between where the Walkers were then and where they’re at now, and also commenting on how the episodes look in retrospect. I’ll time my observations to the playback of the DVD, for those who want to view along. Share your own reflections in the comments.
And now, Part 1 of Episode 6, “For the Children.”
0:41
The song is Toby Lightman’s “Slippin’” as we approach the outside of Tommy and Julia’s one-story house, which actually has a white picket fence in front of it.
1:33
Julia belongs to an Internet support group called Trying to Conceive. You gotta watch out for that Internet, you know. Full of unreliable advice.
1:54
Sarah’s house has two stories but, as far as I can see in the dark, no picket fence out front.
2:04
Justin suggests a road trip to disappear into the desert as the only way to get out of going to Mom’s big charity ball. And really, if they truly could disappear, that’s about the only way they’ll ever get out of it. But Nora could probably track them down.
2:33
This was back when Julia and Joe were actually part of the group, and allowed to make suggestions to the siblings. Of course, their suggestions here are, “Hey, just talk to your mother and we’re sure she’ll let you out of it,” which is maybe why everybody stopped listening to them. Have they met their mother-in-law?
2:49
Kevin’s love of musicals, though somewhat disavowed last episode, is fully acknowledged here.
3:14
Sarah offers a toast: “The tyranny of Nora’s big night is over.” No, wait: Toast is what they are.
3:54
Sarah tells Kitty as little as she can about the tough times the company is having — but doesn’t mention that Jonathan is the one who suggested selling off the divisions. Did Jonathan ask her not to mention his involvement, or did Sarah ask him not to let Kitty know anything about the business problems? I suppose we can assume it’s the latter, but they’ve got a lot of nerve talking outside of our earshot and making us guess.
4:10
Sarah asks Kitty not to tell Mom about the business problems, because Sarah wants to do it. I don’t know, Sarah — seems like, if you have an unavoidable family gossip mill, you might as well let it do your dirty work for you.
4:59
Joe is the voice of Telling the Truth tonight, first advising the siblings to tell Nora they don’t want to go to the party, now telling Sarah she should have come clean with Kitty about Dad’s embezzlement. He didn’t find forthrightness so easy when he was the one with the secret, did he?
5:37
Nora has a secret weapon in the search for a last-minute emcee, a celebrity who’s on TV. Later we’ll find out that it’s Warren, but why wouldn’t she have drafted Kitty for the job? Isn’t she equally a celebrity who’s on TV?
6:34
Harry is what Warren will be in about thirty years.
7:41
The forensic accountant is stopped by a password between five and eight characters long, with about a billion possible combinations. Maybe they should hire Jeremy Goodwin. He’s pretty good at guessing.
9:39
Nora exerts her maternal pressure to get her family to this annual shindig so she can look at them, all dressed up, and indulge in her Kennedy fantasy. Be careful what you wish for, Nora.
11:16
Tommy gets the news that he’s sterile. Bet there’s an Internet support group for that.
Brothers and Sisters, ABC, For the Children
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